Wagon-brake coupling.



No. 794,324. PATENTBD JULY 11, 1905. J. E. SMART.

WAGON BRAKE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904

3 Swvwwioz,

Patented July 11, 1905 PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN ED SMART, O F MUSIOK, MISSOURI.

WAGON-BRAKE COUPLING- SPECIFICATION forming art of Letters Patent No. 794,324, dated. July 11, 1905.

Application filed November 1'7, 1904. Serial No. 233,138.

To aZZ whom it 11mg concern.-

v Be it known that I, JOHN E1) SMART, a citizen of the United States, residing at h Iusick, in the county of Gallaway and State of Missou ri, have invented a new and useful Wagon- Bralze Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in wagon-brake couplings.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of wagon-brake couplings and to provide an inexpensive and efficient device of great strength and durability designed for coupling the connecting-rod of a wagon-brake to the upwardly-extending arm of the transverse shaft for enablingthe rod to-be readily attached to and removed from the upwardly-extending arm when it is desired to place a wagon-bod y on or remove it from its running-gear.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling of this character adapted to be easily and quickly operated without the use of a wrench or similar tool and capable of effectually preventing the coupling pin o r pivot from accidentally releasing the parts.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood. that various changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details of coustruction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wagon-brake coupling constructed in accordance with this invention and shown applied to a wagon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken longitudinally of the rear portion of the connecting-rod. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the couplingpin-operating lever.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

1 designates the connecting-rod of a wagonclearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

brake, which rod extends rearwardly from the brake-operating lever 2 t0 the upwardlyextending arm or member 3 of the transverse shaft 4. The transverse shaft 4 is connected with the brake-beam 5 and is mounted on the running-gear of the wagon in the usual manner. The brake-operating lever is mounted on one side of the wagon body or box, as The rear end 6 of the connecting-rod is enlarged and bifurcated to provide two spaced sides for the reception of the upper portion of the arm 3, and these sides are'provided with opposite openings for the reception of a pivot or coupling-pin 7, which also passes through an opening of the arm 3, whereby the connecting-rod is coupled to the upwardly-extending arm of the transverse shaft. The coupling pivot or pin, which is disposed horizontally, is provided at its outer end, with a head 8, which is bifurcated for the reception of a reduced end or portion 9 of a coupling-'pin-opcrating lever 10, which extends longitudinally of the rear portion of the connecting-rod. The reduced end 9 of the coupling-pin-operating lever 10 is provided with a slot 9 for the reception of the pivot 9", which connects the reduced end of the coupling-pin-operating lever to the bifurcated end or head 8 of the coupling pin or pivot 7. The slot permits the necessary play of the parts when the lever is operated to move the coupling pin or pivot 7 inward or outward. The lever 10 is curved longitut'linally to present a convexly-curved face to the connecting-rod, and it is provided between its ends with a pair of projecting ears 11, which are pivoted by a pin or rivet 12 to theconnecting-rod. Thecouplingpinor pivot is firmly held in the openings of thebifurcated end of the connecting-rod and the upwardly-extending arm by a spring 13, interposed between the front arm of the lever and the rod. The spring, which consists of a substantially straight piece of resilient material,

dcrcut to interlock with the spring. By this construction the fastening device is relieved of much of the strain incident to flexing the spring. The free end of the spring bears against the rod and is adapted to slide there on. When it is desired to withdraw the cou pling-pin for coupling or uncoupling the connecting-rod, the front arm of the lever is pressed inward against the connecting-rod, and as soon as the front arm of the lever is released the spring will automatically throw the coupling pin or pivot inward and will positively maintain the same in such position.

It will be seen that the device is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it will enable the connecting-rod of a wagonbrake to be readily coupled to and uncoupled from the upwardlyextending arm of the transverse shaft Without the use of a wrench or similar'tool, and that the coupling pin or pivot when in engagement with the upwardlyextending arm of the rock-shaft is positively held in such engagement, so that there is no liability of the parts becoming accidentally uncoupled.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A device of the class described, comprising a connecting-rod having a bifurcated end adapted to receive the arm of a transverse shaft and provided with openings, a pivot slidable in the openings, and operating mechanism mounted on the rod for moving the coupling-pin inward and outward and for holding the same in its engagement.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a connecting-rod having a bifurcated end adapted to receive the arm of a transverse shaft and provided with openings, a pivot slidable in the openings, an operating-lever fulcrumed between its ends on the rod and inner face of the lever in the recess thereof and having its attached end beveled and engaging the undercut shoulder, the other end of the spring being free and bearing against the rod.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ED SMART.

Witnesses:

J. H. DAFFNON, A. H. WILLIAMS. 

